Let The Games Begin! Host Shan Boodram Sets The Stage For TEMPTATIONS UNDER THE SUN: CYPRUS

By BILL HARRIS Special to The Lede   Host Shan Boodram had a simple yet poignant observation about the sexy singles who chose to participate in TEMPTATIONS UNDER THE SUN: CYPRUS. “If you don’t want to play games, then it’s not really the show to be on,” said Boodram, summing it up succinctly. An English spinoff of a hit Québec series, TEMPTATIONS UNDER THE SUN: CYPRUS is a Crave Original that premieres on Friday, Aug. 7. Guided by Boodram, who is a renowned sexologist, intimacy expert, and host of the “Lovers By Shan” podcast (available on iHeartRadio.com and the iHeartRadio Canada app), paired-up contestants face steamy challenges, wild parties, surprise arrivals, and heart-wrenching eliminations, all while earning valuable points that unlock major advantages. The boldest and most magnetic duo will win $50,000 and be crowned “Canada’s Most Seductive Couple.” But that’s a non-binding title, which is one of the things Boodram appreciates most. “I love the fact that the show didn’t ask people to be inauthentic,” Boodram said. “Look, you’re in your 20s, we know what it is, you want to explore. You’re not looking for the person you want to marry right now. Statistically, we know that the age people get married is getting later and later, as people make other important life decisions before they decide who their life partner is. And so, I think that the show being mindful of that is huge progress, and it does alleviate a lot of the unrealistic expectations that we sometimes put on reality stars.” She continued, “you wouldn’t want to force people to be in relationships that are genuinely not fulfilling or compatible. It’s a very big difference between having a fiery, beautiful connection with somebody in a controlled environment that’s designed to bring out the most flirty side of yourself, versus in the real world, where we have real stress. So I love the fact that this show was like, ‘we’re here for a good time, not a long time.’ I’m sure some of the couples have kept in touch, and if they did, I’d be thrilled to hear their stories. But there was no pressure to do that. It was merely, be brave, be fearless, be bold, rejection’s a part of it, have fun.” Of course, for viewers, the fun of watching a series such as TEMPTATIONS UNDER THE SUN: CYPRUS is the opportunity to live vicariously. “These people are extraordinary physical specimens, right?” Boodram said. “There’s not a hair or a body part out of place. They’re just interesting to look at, in the same way that we look at athletes. And let’s be clear about something: it is a skill to be able to put yourself out there, and try to do the most vulnerable thing in the world in front of millions of people.” Boodram added that she spent some time studying “pickup artistry,” with a pickup coach, who had a very interesting perspective to share with her. “He told me that he works with all kinds of people: Navy SEALs, police officers, people who travel to space, people who put their bodies on the line every day, in really extreme ways,” Boodram recalled. “And yet, almost all of them say, ‘I would rather do something incredibly dangerous than walk up to someone who I think is attractive, and ask them if they think I’m attractive.’ So there’s a lot of pressure on our participants, especially when viewers are hyper-analyzing every move they make, and looking for certain outcomes. So I commend the young people who put themselves forward, and everybody on the show. I really adored them.” Finally, Boodram claims in one of the episodes of TEMPTATIONS UNDER THE SUN: CYPRUS that there is a health benefit to kissing. Was that merely showmanship, or is it true? “Of course it’s true, bare minimum from a nervous-system reset,” she insisted. “You can go ahead and kiss your hand right now to test it out. It reassures you that there is safety around. It’s a form of face yoga. You can actually burn a little bit of calories from kissing, especially if you’re kissing with the body as well, the hips and the hands. It’s also good cardio, if you have to hold your breath for a long period of time. So we could go on about the health benefits of it, but I think by and large, we all should all be kissing a little longer.” The participants on TEMPTATIONS UNDER THE SUN: CYPRUS clearly don’t need convincing!   billharristv@gmail.com @billharris_tv